


hoarding

by emkicchi



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Panic Attacks, Raccooninnit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28199796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emkicchi/pseuds/emkicchi
Summary: After surviving his exile with Dream, Tommy develops hoarding habits that he attempts to hide from Techno out of fear that he’ll be kicked out if he’s caught hiding things from him.
Relationships: Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 992





	hoarding

Tommy had never been a hoarder. Sure, he would occasionally take things from Wilbur and Techno as a kid, often hiding said things under the bed to keep them from retrieving it, but he had never really hoarded anything. He had never felt he needed to. But right now, Tommy felt an uncontrollable impulse to hold onto everything he could get his hands on. 

He had been living with Techno since the piglin hybrid had found him in his basement and was steadily gaining weight after having dropped to a dangerously low number. 

Techno had been patient with him, more so than he remembers him ever being. It was both a relief and terrifying, especially since Techno was not very good at being patient. Tommy saw how he got frustrated with him when he refused to eat and had to take breaks from him to keep from yelling at Tommy when he was being difficult. The closest Techno had got to breaking was when he was dressing Tommy’s burn wounds.

He had seen the way the piglin hybrid’s eyes flashed in anger when Tommy had instinctively kicked out at him at the searing pain in his arm when the burns were touched. Tommy had braced quickly, expecting Techno to hit him or yell like Dream often did when he had had enough, but he didn’t. He just sat there quietly. It was so unsettling and Tommy had avoided him to the best of his ability for days after. 

The anger was clearly building up and Tommy was trying to keep it from getting too high. He didn’t want to be hit again and the last time he was yelled at had left him shaking for hours after. Despite the fear of Techno’s anger, Tommy still found himself doing things that would antagonize the man. Specifically, stealing from him. 

When Tommy had been living in Techno’s basement, he had stolen things out of a need for survival. Now, Tommy no longer needed to steal yet he still found himself compulsively doing it. A voice in the back of his mind told him he needed to take what he could and hide it so it couldn’t be taken away. 

He knew Techno wouldn’t deny him food or armor or basic tools, but a part of him was still terrified that once the piglin hybrid got tired of him, he wouldn’t let Tommy keep anything. The threat of going without food or any way to defend himself again was looming over him dangerously. 

So Tommy had built another raccoon hole. Still by the house but not directly under it, and harder to find. Whenever Techno left, Tommy would find himself raiding through his chests, taking small amounts of food and materials and bringing them to his makeshift hole and hiding it there. 

It was disgusting, and Tommy knew it was illogical to bring food down there that would often rot before Tommy would even eat it, but unless he did it he would have to deal with the terrifying anxiety that there was no backup plan for when things would inevitably go wrong. 

Techno was smart, and Tommy saw the looks he would give him once he got back home and noticed things missing from his chests, and the fear of being kicked out was getting worse and worse each day. He knew the piglin was getting frustrated with him, and wanted Tommy to come to him first, but he couldn’t bring himself to. And after everything, he really should have seen the confrontation coming. 

—

“Hey, Tommy,” Techno started, causing Tommy to jolt from where he was sitting, hand pausing from where it was bringing a carrot up to his mouth. “Can we talk?” 

Tommy swallowed the spit in his mouth nervously, setting his food down and eyes searching for an exit unconsciously. “Well, we kind of are already, big man,” he said, trying to keep up his brave persona but failing miserably when his voice cracked near the end. 

Wincing, Tommy looked down at his lap, feeling Techno’s eyes burning a hole in his head. 

Slowly, the piglin started again. “I’ve noticed a lot of my stuff’s been disappearing.” He said, not moving his eyes away from Tommy who tensed even more at the words. He could hear the heavy accusation in the others words, and Tommy knew despite the others calm persona he was easy to anger. Tommy, in turn, was known for annoying others easily and found himself considering his words very carefully for the first time. 

“Really? I’ve been eating some of your food but not that much. Sorry about that,” Tommy admitted, hoping a small apology would make Techno drop it. It didn’t. 

“It isn’t just food disappearing, and it’s far more food than I know you’re capable of eating normally,” Techno continued. His voice would have sounded calm to anyone else but Tommy had known the piglin hybrid for a long time and could hear the layering frustration. 

“Oh,” Tommy said quietly, finding himself unable to say anything more, panicking quietly and his heart pounding in his ears. He still hadn’t looked up at Techno since the conversation started, and flinched violently as he heard the man rise to his feet. 

“Tommy,” he started, making the blonde shake even more. “I know you’re taking my stuff.” Despite Tommy having known the other knew, the words sent him into a panic and he quickly found himself unable to breathe. 

The frustration and disappointment in his voice was so similar, Tommy could practically see Dream standing in front of him, taunting, forcing him throw his stuff away and leaving him with nothing. Tommy could hear faint talking but it was being tuned out by a buzzing in his ears. 

Suddenly, Tommy took in a breath and found himself unable to stop, hyperventilating as the memories of sounds of explosions filled his ears. The burns along his arms were suddenly all he could feel and desperately, Tommy began to scratch at them, unable to focus on anything outside of his own mind. 

Someone was still talking, but Tommy couldn’t tell who and as he heaved in sharp breaths, he could taste salt from the tears he hadn’t noticed pouring down his cheeks. 

Suddenly, he was wrapped in something warm, and his hands were pulled away from where they were tearing at the wounds along his arms. He felt a hand drag through his hair, fluffing it up despite it still being flat from his time in Logstedshire. As he was rocked back and forth, he began to take control over his breathing, someone counting in his ears as he focused on breathing in and out. 

Opening his eyes that he hadn’t realized he closed, Tommy glanced up tiredly and realized it was Techno who was hugging him. He tensed up slightly instinctively wanting to pull away, before relaxing once more, too tired to panic again. 

If Tommy had been anymore awake, he would have been embarrassed at being held the same way he had been when he was a kid, but now all he could feel was peace at the feeling of being rocked back and forth in his brother’s arms. 

Closing his eyes, Tommy allowed himself to drift to sleep and let his future self deal with the aftermath. 

—

When Tommy woke up, he was confused at how warm he was, used to a thin sheet for a blanket that kept him in a constant state of being slightly cold. 

Sitting up, he glanced down and felt his cheeks warm when he realized Techno’s cape was draped over him. The sight of it however, brought memories of yesterday that came swarming back with a vengeance and Tommy soon felt his face paling in terror. 

Techno had confronted him, and Tommy had... shame filled him at the memory and despite himself, he pulled the cape over his head to hide his face. He had had a panic attack, hadn’t he? He’d never had one before but he’d seen Techno have them when he was younger and could recognize it as one. God, why did Tommy have one of all people? It wasn’t like he had any trauma. 

Tommy’s internal rambling paused at the thought. Did he have trauma? He’d been through a war and Pogtopia was awful and that probably counted as traumatic. But that hadn’t been what Tommy was panicking about. It had been Dream, and Dream was his friend, right? But just thinking about Dream made Tommy scared and he found himself wanting to go hide in his raccoon hole again. 

Before he could impulsively act though, Tommy heard a door open and audibly gasped as Techno walked in. Clearly surprised to see him awake, the piglin hybrid paused and the two stared each other down before Tommy looked away nervously, unable to look the other in his eyes anymore. 

Without saying anything, Techno walked over and sat down next to his bed. As the two sat there in silence, Tommy felt himself grow more and more nervous before Techno finally spoke up. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked, obviously nervous himself, and for the first time in a while Tommy couldn’t hear any undertones of anger in his voice. Tommy shook his head quickly, but found himself wondering to himself if he really did want to. Nobody had ever asked him that since he was younger, and he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to talk about it or not. The thought really shouldn’t have had such an impact, but Tommy found that he couldn’t hold back the tears that began running down his face. 

His silent crying, quickly turned into sobs, and Tommy turned his head in the cape, staining it with his tears. He was about to apologize, but was cut off by Techno pulling him close and hugging him once more. 

“I don’t know what Dream did to you, Tommy. But I promise that you never need to hide or hoard anything away from me.” Techno whispered into his ear, making Tommy freeze. 

“How?” He whispered softly, voice cracking, tears still streaming down his face. He had kept the hole well hidden this time, had Techno somehow found it?

Techno paused for a moment, before answering honestly. “When Phil first adopted me, I developed hoarding habits too.” 

Tommy processed the information slowly, running it through his mind. He hadn’t known Techno when he was first adopted by Phil, and nobody had ever told him much about it. It had always been a touchy subject, and it was surprising for Techno to talk about it. 

“Why did you?” He asked softly, tears slowing down from where they were running down his face. 

“I didn’t want to risk going without food again. Phil always told me it was a response to trauma,” Techno said, rubbing his hand up and down Tommy’s back soothingly. “I knew you were probably doing it as well, I’m sorry I didn’t ask you about it in a better way.” 

Tommy’s thoughts went back to the word trauma. Techno had said Tommy had a trauma response. It made sense but it was still hard to accept that Tommy of all people was traumatized. Especially about one of his only friends. Though Tommy still wasn’t sure if Dream was really a friend or not. There were so many things he wanted to say, but instead Tommy found himself tiredly saying, “it’s ok.” 

Techno paused in surprise before chuckling tiredly, hugging Tommy closer to him. The rocking motion he had done yesterday started up again, and Tommy found himself growing tired once more. As he got pulled closer towards the darkness he quietly thanked the piglin hybrid before falling asleep to the man thanking him back softly.

**Author's Note:**

> didn’t expect my first fanfic on ao3 to be an mcyt fic but i guess i just sort of got inspired. 
> 
> also i don’t know a lot about trauma responses but ik ppl who’ve survived situations where they were starved of food will hoard food in places afterwards and thought it fit in with the whole raccooninnit thing so i wrote about it.


End file.
